Premature ejaculation, or PE, is the most common sexual disorder among men, and according to the international classification, it is considered to interfere with sexual function when a man reaches ejaculation in less than 60 seconds from the beginning of intercourse.
It can also become a problem when a man reaches ejaculation earlier than he or his partner would like. It should be noted that the condition is only considered a sexual dysfunction if it persists for at least six months.
No less than 30% of men aged 18 to 59 suffer from the condition. The phenomenon stems from a variety of emotional factors, such as strong sexual excitement. Mental difficulties and relationship problems can also affect how fast a man ejaculates, as well as other functional problems, such as performance anxiety and erectile dysfunction.
However, not all men who finish quickly feel that this is a problem. Many women I see in my clinic also say that they do not like long sex because they feel that when the sex focuses on penetration it causes them pain or loss of interest and pleasure.
Moreover, for many people, good sex focuses on a variety of sexually stimulating activities such as kissing and touching the whole body, sensual massages, and oral sex, and only moves to penetrative sex once aroused, if at all.
So it’s important to communicate with your partner and see if there are any other ways you can satisfy them.
This also begs the question: how come some men can control their ejaculation while others can't? To answer this, I asked Dr. Arik Shechter, the president of the Israeli Society for Sexual Medicine.
Dr. Shechter explains that although many studies were done into the physiological causes of PE, researchers have yet to conclusively pinpoint any.
However, I do have some solutions that might help. First of all, it is worth knowing that premature ejaculation has a drug-based treatment that can be obtained through a sexologist. For those of you who aren't too big on medication, behavioral therapy under the guidance of a qualified sex therapist can be of great help too.
In therapy, you will work to locate the source of stress, learn about your physiological and mental responses during sex, learn to better know your body, connect with your inner self and learn how to control ejaculation. Note that this process varies from patient to patient.
There are also some innovative technological solutions that will help you last longer in the sack. The first was developed in Spain and is called Myhixel. This is a tool for both fun and exercise. It also comes with an app that provides you with a series of exercises that aim to train you to control your ejaculations.
Another Israeli solution doesn't require practice or medication, and it is called In2, and it is actually a sticker. The man sticks it in the perineum area, which is located between the scrotum and the anus, during sex.
It transmits a weak and pleasant electrical pulse to the area, inhibiting ejaculation, and giving better control over the orgasm. The patch is considered revolutionary since it can be used as pleased and no prior preparation is required.
Shelly Vered is a certified sexologist.